CAIRO: Prominent TV presenter Yosri Fouda said he will resume his ON TV program “Akher Kalam” starting Sunday, three weeks after suspending it.
“I will be back to “Akher Kalam” show along with two prominent writers Alaa El Aswany and Ibrahim Eissa to discuss the Egyptian scene,” Fouda wrote on his Twitter account late Wednesday.
He had suspended the prominent news talk show indefinitely on Oct. 20. He had announced earlier that he would be hosting the same writers to analyze statements made by members of the ruling military council on TV the night before.
It wasn’t immediately clear why he decided to resume the show.
Last month, speculations suggested Fouda was forced to cancel the show or broadcast it under certain conditions.
"It is no secret that much of the pre-revolution mentality is still imposed on us, if not worse. I’ll stand today as a media practitioner to monitor the marked deterioration in professional media freedom," Fouda wrote in a statement he posted on Oct. 21.
This deterioration, he said, stems from the belief of those who have the upper hand that the media can “deny existing realities or create realities that do not exist.”
"That is the main problem and that is the broader context which I refuse to be a part of," he said.
He denied being pressured by the management of ON TV.
He added that within the last few months, there has been a vigorous attempt to retain the essence of a regime that Egyptians toppled because of its corruption.
"Those attempts have taken different paths, some inherited and some innovative. But they all meant to put pressure, directly and indirectly, on those who still believe in the noble goals of the revolution and try to respect people and respect themselves to force them to practice self-censorship on what cannot be hidden or beautified," he wrote.
Numerous activists and journalists expressed their respect for his stance, but many urged him to return to the small screen.
SCAF denied imposing any pressure on media and called on Fouda to go back on air.
